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Ford under fire from GOP, Trump administration over China ties
New York Post • • business
Key Points:
- The Trump administration and congressional Republicans are criticizing Ford for its close ties to Chinese companies, particularly involving battery technology licensed from Chinese firm CATL, a joint venture with Geely in Spain, and potential battery supply talks with BYD.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy expressed "profound concern" over Ford's reliance on Chinese intellectual property and technology at its Michigan battery plant, despite Ford owning and controlling the facility.
- Ford disputes the administration's characterization, emphasizing that the CATL agreement is a limited licensing deal, not a joint venture, and denies proposing any framework to facilitate Chinese automakers' entry into US manufacturing.
- Additional criticism targets Ford’s ongoing production of the Lincoln Nautilus in China and delayed plans to increase US Lincoln production, though Ford says it is working with officials to reshore manufacturing.
- The White House recently praised Ford’s $3 billion investment in the Michigan battery plant, highlighting the tension between the administration’s messaging and Duffy’s critical letter.
